Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel movies, has died of cancer.
His representative says Boseman died Friday in Los Angeles after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was 43. Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side, his publicist Nicki Fioravante told The Associated Press.
Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, his family said in a statement.
Boseman's death was also confirmed on his official Twitter account.
— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020
In addition to his leading role in the mega hit "Black Panther," Boseman also played Jackie Robinson in the movie "42." Friday also happened to be No. 42 day in MLB.
"Black Panther" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. For his performance, Boseman won a BET Award and an MTV Movie and TV Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of T'Challa.
In total, Boseman played T'Challa in four different Marvel films, first in the 2016 movie "Captain America: Civil War." He then reprised the character later in 2018 for "Avengers: Infinity War."He also played T'Challa last year in "Avengers: Endgame."
Boseman's role as T'Challa brought joy to millions of Americans, as evident in this 2018 "Tonight Show" video.
This was amazing. @chadwickboseman surprises #BlackPanther fans while they say what the movie means to them. pic.twitter.com/ZXnfLuV83f
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) March 1, 2018